Your trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon begins in Stanley, Idaho. You can get to Stanley by chartered aircraft or automobile. Majority of our guests fly to Boise, Idaho and then either take a chartered flight, or rent a car and drive, to Stanley.

Driving: Stanley is located at the junction of Scenic Routes 21 and 75 at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains. It is approximately 60 miles north of Sun Valley and 130 miles east of Boise. You may rent a car in Boise or Sun Valley; however understand that there are no rental return offices in Stanley. You can leave your vehicle in Stanley or have it shuttled while you are on the river to North Fork Cafe, the nearest town to our take out location.

Chartered Flight: Sawtooth Flying Service provides chartered flights to and from Boise. Most guests will fly in with Sawtooth Flying Service to Stanley and at the end of the trip fly from Salmon to their departure location. For a complete listing of services and rates please contact Sawtooth Flying Service at 1-800-798-6105. We suggest you make reservations with Sawtooth Flying Service well ahead of your trip date.

Travel Arrangements Sequence

1) Flights reservations to Boise made or drive to Idaho planned
2) Charter flight or car rental reservation made for Stanley
3) Return reservations confirmed
4) Car shuttle arranged if needed
5) Lodging reserved

Please contact us to discuss your travel plans as needed. We can help coordinate logistics with other guests that are traveling to and from the river. We can be reached at 1-888-948-4337 or at dirk@adventure-guides.com

Our river guests typically stay at the Mountain Village Lodge the evening before their river trip. We advise that you make your reservations as soon as possible after booking your trip. Mountain Village Lodge can be contacted at 1-800-843-5475.

When you make your reservations with Mountain Village Lodge make sure to tell them you are with Adventure Guides as we retain a block of rooms on hold for our guests to reserve.




Adventure Guides will meet with you and the other guests for orientation in the conference room at the Mountain Village Lodge at 6:00pm the evening before your trip.

During orientation we will be providing trip information, issuing waterproof packs and day bags, sleeping gear, arranging logistics for transportation and luggage, answering questions and handling last minute details.

Vehicles and luggage can be stored in Stanley at the Mountain Village Lodge while on the river. If you will be departing from one of the stops along the ride back to Stanley you can have your vehicle shuttled with your luggage to either North Fork Cafe or the Salmon Airport depending on your next planned destination. To make arrangements to have your vehicle shuttled, call River Shuttles at 1-800-831-8942.

If you are traveling by air charter you may leave your luggage with Adventure Guides. We will have it for you at our take out location so that you will have it for your return flight. Most of our guests depart from the Salmon airport going back to Boise or on to Sun Valley as their return routes once off the river. Adventure Guides provides bus transportation to and from the river with Stanley as the starting and ending point. We will drop you at your chosen departure location along our return to Stanley.

Please note: As explained on the reservation form, if we have to fly into the river due to weather or water conditions there will be an added flight fee assessed of approximately $80 per person. Fall Fishing trips have a different fee structure due to size of group and gear and are usually included in the trip price. This flight and associated fees is usually handled during orientation unless prior arrangements were made before the orientation date.

Each week has its own “Best”. Best rapids, best weather, best hiking, best wildlife viewing, best swimming, best fishing etc...However it is our guests and crew that make the trips so enjoyable regardless of the water level and weather conditions. There is no predicting the water and weather conditions for any week during any season so guests need to be prepared for all conditions. In general, the early trips in June will have higher and wilder water and be colder. The wild flowers bloom profusely in June and early July. Towards the end of June into July the water usually slows, the weather warms, and conditions become milder. A typical afternoon in July is a pleasant 80 degrees while the nights can be between 45-50 degrees depending on location in the Canyon. Fishing and swimming pick up in mid-July through August as the river pools and slows. Fall trips are chilly in the evenings and mild during the day for great fishing. Weather and water levels are impossible to predict and may range from snow to extremely hot...most days will be spent in shorts or swimsuits and t-shirts...However it is always wise to dress in layers with rain gear readily available in case of thunder storms or cool weather. Please see our section on what to wear and bring as you plan your trip.

Itinerary >